‘Good ones, of course. But how do you know? Did Cornelis contact you?’

‘There was no need. I was sitting next to him when you called.’

‘You’re still in Lysvik?’ Karen exclaims in surprise. ‘I thought you’d be home by now.’

‘Plans changed. But tell me about Groth. I’ve been sitting here waiting for you to call.’

Karen gives a brief account of her suspicions after reading Fredrik Stuub’s research and Brodal’s confirmation of them.

‘Well, that does sound like a clear motive. Whether Stuub was on to something or not, the suspicion alone would surely be enough to put the expansion on hold.’

‘And it provides leverage for extortion,’ Karen replies. ‘I actually think that was Stuub’s intention, otherwise he would have gone straight to the provincial board. And it explains the email.’

‘What about the son? And the wife, come to think of it. Can we be sure Björn acted on his own?’

‘We’re going to have to bring them in, of course, but I want to talk to Björn first.’

‘The question is how Gabriel fits into this,’ Karl says. ‘Could he have been closer to his grandfather than he claimed and had some part in the blackmail? Or did he know something about the old man’s murder?’

‘Maybe,’ Karen replies evasively. ‘We’re going to have to try to find out.’

I have to tell him about Odd, she thinks to herself, but not yet. Not until I’ve at least tried to persuade him to testify voluntarily.

‘Well, this isn’t going to be enough on its own,’ Karl says. ‘I’m surprised the prosecutor let you make the arrest. Who was it?’

‘Dineke Vegen.’

‘Ah, then I take it back,’ Karl says with a dry laugh. ‘She’s probably still feeling guilty about not backing you up last time.’

His comment irks Karen. True, last year, Dineke Vegen had steered an investigation in a direction that had ultimately placed Karen in lethal danger, but Karl’s insinuation that guilt was the basis for her decision to let them arrest Björn Groth offends her.

‘I resent that! I had good reason to nick—’

‘Calm down, Eiken, it was a joke. All right, three days . . . I guess we have our work cut out for us.’

‘Not you. At least not for the next twenty-four hours. Cornelis will sit in on the initial interview with Björn Groth tomorrow and we’ll catch you up on Thursday. Why haven’t you left yet, speaking of which? I seem to remember giving you an order.’

There’s a brief pause as Karl hesitates.

‘I talked to Ingrid again and she has invited her parents over for the weekend,’ he says darkly. ‘She thought I was working.’

‘Oh, come on. You can’t let your in-laws drive you out of your own home.’